Card-file.



N0. 637,49l. Patented Nov. 2l, I899.

n. L. vllAs. GABD FILE.

(Application filed Nov. 28, 1897.)

(No Model.)

WI T/VESSES UNITED TATES ROYAL LEE VILAS, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE GLOBE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

'CARD FILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 637,491, dated November 21, 1899.

Application filed November 26,1897. Serial No. 659,761. (No model.)

To atZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROYAL LEE VILAS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Card-Files, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to files for index-cards for use in libraries, offices, and other places where cards are used for purposes of indexing or reference; and it has for its object the improved construction of such files, whereby their case of manipulation, security, and efficiency are increased.

The novelty of my invention will be hereinafter set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of a card-file embodying my invention with the card-holding rods spread to prevent the withdrawal of the cards. Fig. 2 is acoi'respondin g view with the card-holding rods brought together to permit the removal of any one or a series of cards or to permit the introduction into the file of any one or a series of cards. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the dotted line 00 x of Fig. 1 looking to the left. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the dotted line y y of Fig. 2 looking to the left. Fig. 5 is an enlarged inside elevation of the actuating mechanism for the card-holding and releasing mechanism in position to lock the cards. Fig. 6 is a corresponding view with the parts in position to release the cards. Fig. 7 is a plan View of Fig. 5 on the dotted line 1 1. Fig. 8 is a plan view of Fig. 6 on the dotted line 2 2.

The ,same letters of reference are used to indicate identical parts in all the figures.

In its preferred form of construction the file is a drawer, of which a series is usually employed and contained in a suitable case or cabinet. The drawer may have an interior width just sufficient to contain a single row of cards, which stand on edge transversely of the drawer, or it may be wide enough to have two or more card-compartments side by side and extending from the front to the rear of the drawer. I have only illustrated a drawer with a single card-compartment; but it will be readily understood that this may be duplicated or pluralized into a drawer with any number of compartments desired, the mechanism in each compartment being identical with that illustrated and to be described.

In the drawings, A represents the bottom of the drawer; B, its side walls; O, its front wall, and D its rear wall.

E are the cards, and F the sliding follower, of any suitable construction; but in this instance illustrated as that'of the Yeiser patent, No. 580,632,0f April 13, 1897, in which the bottom of the drawer has a central slot a, in which is confined a rod 6, which is passed through a pinch perforated projection 0, Figs. 3 and 4, secured to the follower. This, however, forming no part of my present invention, need not be more fully described.

The cards instead of having inwardly-contained perforations through their lower edges at the middle for the passage of a longitudinally-removable retaining-rod have in place thereof T-shaped slots d, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, with the uprights of the T extending entirely through the bottom edges of the cards.

Pivoted to plates 6 f in recesses in the front and rear walls of the drawer, at or near the lower edges thereof, are two horizontallyswinging members g h, each having studs M, respectively, to which are pivoted two parallel rods or bars 70, preferably in the form of two semicylinders, which when shifted longitudinally by the swinging of the plate g h are brought together, as seen in Figs. 2, 4, 6, and 8, and constitute a single cylindrical rod, which, as seen in Fig. 4, is directly over the upright part of the T-slot in the cards to permit their being lifted out of the drawer either singly or in groups or be placed in the drawer to be locked therein. The reverse swinging of the plates or members 9 It causes the rods in to spread apart, as seen in Figs. 1, 3, 5, and 7, and to occupy the extremities of the transverse parts of the T-slots in the cards to hold the same locked in the drawer-compartment, the members 9 h of equal length being connected by the rods is pivoted thereto, so as to maintain at all times parallelism of the rods and the members g h, respectively. It

is apparent that whatever will swing the member 9 will cause a corresponding swinging of the member h, and vice versa. I have accordingly provided a positive means of swinging the members 9 h at the front of the drawer to cause the rods 7a to come together or be spread apart in the same horizontal plane by pivoting a thumb-piece or button Z through the front of the drawer, with a cranlb arm n, rigid on its inner end and connected by a pivoted link 02, Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8, with an extremity of the member 9 in this instance to one of the studs 7;, so that by partially rotating the thumb-piece or button [the crankarm is oscillated from the position of Fig. 5 to the position of Fig. 6 to swing the members g h and bring the rods 7.: together, or vice versa, from the position of Fig. 6 to the position of Fig. 5 to spread the rods 70, as will be readily understood. Aside from this means of operating the rods 76 positively in both directions I have arranged the rear member It so as to project from the rear wall of the drawer when the rods 70 are brought together, as seen in Fig. 2, in such manner that should the attendant forget to spread the rods 70 by turning the thumb-piece 1 after replacing or removing cards the introduction of the drawer to its closing position in the cabinet would automatically cause the swinging of the members 9 7L and the spreading of the rods 7c by the contact of the projecting end of the member h with the rear Wall A of the cabinet or with a piece placed on the latter for that purpose, as will be readily understood.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim- 1. In a card-file, the combination of a cabinet, a filing-drawer therefor, a pair of card retaining and releasing rods parallel with the bottom thereof coacting mechanism connecting both ends of said rods, and means at the rear end of the drawer-receptacle for causing the spreading of the card-rods when the drawer is forced to its closed position, substantially as described.

2. In a cardiile, the combination of a pair of horizontally-pivoted plates at the front and rear of the drawer-base, a pair of parallel rods pivoted thereto, a thumb-piece extending through the drawer-front and having a crank connected by a link with the forward pivoted plate, substantially as described.

ROYAL LEE VILAS. lVitnesses:

M. A. WINKLER, EDWARD PEoK. 

